Ship and cargo deck construction



Nov. 12, 1968 H. K. KLOESS AL 3,410,242

SHIP AND C ARGO DECK CONSTRUCTION 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 26, 1967 Nov. 12, 1968 H. K. KLOESS ET L 3,410,242

SHIP AND CARGO DECK CONSTRQCTION 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 26, 1967 8 u a hf 5 W I u I 4: b M N 3m M. Q- w 2/ w 8 QM W. w J 3 N A a S 5 v h S RN fi L I. I. s w 1 a N3 Nov. 12, 1968 H. K. KLOESS ET AL 3,410,242

SHIP AND CARGO DECK CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 26, 1967 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fly. 3 F 120 12g i f I Nov. 12, 1968 H. K. KLOESS ET AL 3,410,242

SHIP AND CARGO DECK CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 26, 1967 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 :S SS 5 Nov. 12, 1968 H. K. KLoEss ET AL SHIP AND CARGO DECK CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 26, 1967 v Na Na 5 Nov. 12, 1968 H. K. KLOESS ET SHIP AND CARGO DECK CONSTRUCTION e Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Jan. 26, 1967 u g u E i: a. E v. A x p... m m I J i v V ..i 1|-.|/ wa i b 3 United States Patent ice 3,410,242 SHIP AND CARGO DECK CONSTRUCTION Hans K. Kloess, 3 Klugkiststrasse, Bremen, Germany, and Peter Horstmann, Hamburg, Germany; said Horstmann assignor to said Kloess Filed Jan. 26, 1967, Ser. No. 611,913 6 Claims. (Ci. 114-72) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cargo ship having moveable tween decks with hatches pivotally connected to the inside edges of the decks. This allows the tween decks to be loaded in an efiicient manner since they can be rolled directly under the hatch opening.

This invention relates to ships with displacea-ble tween decks which can be moved or rolled from a storage position into the loading position.

Such movable tween decks, which may be called hereafter also wing decks, have the advantage to allow direct loading of all deck portions and to avoid the necessity of moving the cargo across the cargo deck. Furthermore, such wing decks permit freedom in the distribution of the cargo as the movable wing deck, after displacement below the hatchway, is also freely accessible at its end facing the side of the ship.

In a known construction, the tween decks on opposite sides of the centerline of the ship have each a width of about one fourth of the beam and are moved preferably simultaneously under the hatch for loading. The deck portions covered in the storage position by said wing decks can be omitted. The other deck portions are constructed conventionally and contain a tween deck hatch which can be closed by means of insertable deck portions. This known construction has the drawback of leaving a relatively large storage space between the wing decks so as to utilize only partially their advantages. In addition, said construction requires relatively wide hatchways in order to avoid stowage in covered stowage spaces. Finally, the arrangement is not well suitable for the automatic operations required today for handling cargo.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the invention to develop the known wing decks in the direction of providing greater efiiciency and flexibility in relation to loading and stowing the cargo.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a deck construction allowing simple operation, particularly with respect to the opening and closing of the tween deck hatches.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from a consideration of the specification and claims.

The foregoing objects and advantages are accomplished according to the invention by providing for each wing deck at its inner side one or more swingable hinged covers for closing the tween deck surface when the wing decks arranged at both sides of the hatch opening are in a stowing position.

It is known to arrange swingable hinged covers at the edge of the tween deck hatch. Thereby, the stowage beyond the hatchway of the respective deck is not accessible.

In each hold, several, for instance two, wing decks can be arranged one behind the other at either ships side;

3,410,242 Patented Nov. 12, 1968 when two wing decks are provided, their tracks are supported by three transverse girders of which one each is disposed at the front and rear end of the hold, respectively, andone between them in the middle.

The two wing decks of each pair are advantageously separated from each other at both ships sides by wing bulkheads; between the bulkheads, a deck girder supports the extensions of the wing deck tracks. Preferably, said deck girder is removable between the opposite bulkheads.

A cargo ship construction is known where the tween deck is essentially formed by hatch covers which are movable in the longitudinal direction of the ship. Thereby, bulkheads are provided forward and astern in the centreline between which, below the hatch opening, there is arranged a removable girder which on its upper side carries guide rails for the rollers of the deck plates.

In another embodiment of the invention, relating to ships equipped with athwart hatchways, the wing decks are displaceable in the fore and aft line of the ship with respect to the hatch opening from their stowing position into the loading position, and vice versa.

In such ship equipped with transverse hatches an optimum effect is accomplished by making the length of the hold corresponding to about five times the depth of the wing decks, by arranging one hatchway each, having the depth of a wing deck, above the second and fourth fifth of the length of the hold, and by providing below the deck space between the hatchways a displaceable wing deck which is equipped with hinged covers at its front and rear side.

In all embodiments, the width of the wing decks is preferably about equal to the length of the narrow side of the hatchway.

For ships equipped with longitudinal hatches, the width of the hatch, whose length corresponds to about the length of the hold, is made with advantage about one third of the width of the deck.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cargo portion of a ship, partially in section, with four pairs of wing decks in two superposed tween decks; 7

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the hold, taken along line 11-11 of FIG, 3;

FIG. 3 is a top view on a section taken along line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IVIV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal section through the hold of a ship having hatches arranged athwart and wing decks movable in fore-and-aft direction, and

FIG. 6 is a top view of the arrangement of FIG. 5 where the upper half shows a horizontal section below the weather deck.

Referring now to the drawings and first to FIG. 1, the hold is provided with a hatchway 2 on the top deck 4 arranged in the fore-and-aft direction, extends between two transverse bulkheads 6, 8 and is partitioned by two wing bulkheads 10 at each side into four sections in each of which a wing deck 12 is displaceably arranged. Thereby, the wing bulkheads extend from the lower edge of the top deck 4 to the second tween deck and their inner end aligns approximately with the coaming of the hatchway 2. Brackets 14 serving as tracks for the Wing decks are secured to the wing bulkheads 10 and to the transverse 3 bulkheads 6, 8 which close the hold forward and aft. Above said tracks, there is a deck strip 16 in the plane of the upper side of the wing deck 12 and guided along the adjoining ships wall, which strip may serve simultaneously as stiffening and may be formed, for example, at the ships wall as box profile.

As shown in FIG. 2, the wing decks are equipped at their sides with rollers 20 which allow displacement on the tracks 14. Preferably, the tracks are provided with rails and the rollers with wheel flanges. To the inner front side of the wing decks, there is hinged a hatch cover 22 which is operated by means of a power plant 24.

The wing decks 12a and 12b are shown in; FIGS. 1 and 2 in the part of the hold which is visible in front, on the second tween deck in storage position, and the hatch covers 22c, 22b hinged to said wing decks are lowered so as to close the open deck area between the Wing decks. In the first tween deck, there is shown the left-hand wing deck 12c with raised hatch cover 220 in storage position; while the right-hand wing deck 12d is below the hatchway 2, whereby the hatch cover 22 is swung open immediately in front of the hatch cover 220.

The depth of the wing decks and the width of the hatchway 2 are so adjusted as to provide in the stowage position of the wing deck below the side coaming a covered stowage space which is sufficient to receive the two raised hatch covers.

In the arrangement of the hold shown, there are inserted between the wing bulkheads 10 deck beams 26 carrying extensions of the tracks and support for the hatch covers.

FIGS. 3 and 4, in combination: with FIG. 1, show in the rear part of the hold the mobile decks 12e, 12f on the second tween deck in stowage position, their hatch covers 22c, 22 being folded down into closing position. The mobile decks 12g, 1211 on the first tween deck are also in stowage position. Their hatch covers are raised to give access to the stowage space on the hatch covers 22a, 22 of the second tween deck.

The beams between the wing bulkheads are preferably loosely inserted. Thereby, they serve at the same time as pressure connections. As shown in the drawings, the wing bulkheads do not extend to the double bottom 28 but only within the range of the level of the mobile decks. In this case, the wing bulkheads carry at both sides of their lower edge the track brackets for the wing decks. If the wing decks are superposed in several planes, corresponding brackets are secured to the wing bulkheads at the respective levels. However, it is also possible, e.g. for a three deck ship, to install Wing bulkheads only in the space between the second and third deck, in which case the third deck is a mobile deck. Generally, therefore, the wing bulkheads are bounded, as to their height, by the two deck planes, and as to their width, by the distance of the shell plating from the next side coaming. If possible, the bulkhead should be recessed whereby the ends at the hatchway and at the underside are each formed by a girder. The lower holds, which are not equipped with mobile decks (in the illustrated example the space above the double bottom), can be formed without pillars; in said hold, bulky cargo can be stored; this is made possibly by the removability of the deck joists.

The mobile decks can be equipped with surrounding walls which convert said decks to boxes in which the cargo is securely lashed for sea and in which, if required, bulk goods can also be transported on liners.

The loading operation is as follows:

It may be assumed that the mobile deck 12d (starboard side) in the first tween deck shall be loaded. First, the two hatchway covers 22c, 22d of the two opposite mobile decks 12c, 12d are opened. Then, the mobile deck to be loaded is rolled towards the center line below the hatch 2. The two hatch covers 22c, 22d are now exactly side by side, below the port side coaming of the hatch 2, i.e. protected against injury by heaving. The wing deck 12d is now loaded from above. Except a small strip at the after end coaming which results from the arrangement of winch houses, there is no cupboard space, i.e. the cargo can be directly deposited at its proper place and lashed.

The wing decks can receive any bulk or bag cargo, containers, and also palletized cargo. The storage of pallets thereon can be easily carried out. The loading being terminated, the mobile deck is rolled into its storage position. Then the opposite, port side wing deck 120 can be loaded in the same order. The same operation can be carried out simultaneously with one of the forward wing decks 12e to h. The unloading is carried out in the reverse sequence.

The embodiment of the invention shown in- FIGS. 5 and 6 corresponds in principle to the embodiment according to FIGS. 1-4, just described. Therefore, like parts are designated with like reference numbers with the prefix 1. In contrast to the construction of FIGS. 1-4, in the construction of FIGS. 5 and 6 the hatchways 102 are athwart ships, the wing bulkheads extend fore-and-aft, and the wing decks 112il are moved in fore-and-aft direction. In the illustrated example, in which the hold is provided with two hatchways in the upper deck 164, the mobile deck 112k in the cupboard stowage position between the two hatchways is provided at both sides with a hatch cover 122k, and said mobile deck can be rolled under the left as well as under the right hatchway, thus providing an additional freedom regarding the loading or unloading sequence. It would be, of course, also possible, to provide, for hatchways spaced farther from each other, two mobile decks therebetween.

The arrangement of mobile tween decks shown in the drawings provides also a possibility to solve the problem of the open ship to be adapted for the general liner trade. Two or three cargo holds, depending on the size of the ship, could be equipped with such mobile decks so as to render said holds open. This means speed-up of the loading and unloading operations and a considerable decrease of the storage and port costs.

In the described arrangement, the width of the hatch- Way 2 can be kept relatively small at about a third of the beam, without interfering with the loading operation. This results in obtaining a wide storage area on the upper deck and favorable dimensions of the deck 4. The possibilities of subdividing the mobile decks, as stated hereinabove, increase the variation possibilities of the stowage plan, and allow of dimensioning the length of the hatchway so as to permit operation with double gear and two gangs. Furthermore, containers having ISO dimensions can be used. In the range of the holds equipped with mobile decks, the ship is built substantially as a one-deck ship.

Of course, it is also possible to extend the mobile decks over the entire length of the hold. In this case, the wing bulkheads will be omitted. Because of the weight of the loaded tween decks, it will be generally preferably to use the arrangement as shown.

We claim:

1. In a ship containing mobile tween decks which can be moved alternately from a stowage position in the hold of the ship to loading and unloading position below a hatch opening of the top deck, the improvement which comprises at least one hatch cover hingedly secured at the inner side of each of said mobile decks, said hatch covers closing the tween deck area when said mobile decks are in stowage position at both sides of the hatch opening.

2. A ship as claimed in claim 1 comprising in each hold on each side a pair of mobile decks arrange one after the other, fore, aft, and center tracks for said decks, and three brackets supporting said tracks, one each of said brackets being provided at the front and aft end of the hold, respectively, and the third bracket being disposed between said front and aft brackets.

3. A ship as claimed in claim 2 comprising wing bulkheads separating the two mobile decks of each of said pairs at both sides of the ship, and a deck beam between said bulkheads, said deck 'bearn supporting extensions of and wherein the width of the hatch and the width of each said center tracks. of the mobile decks each is about one third of the width 4. A ship as claimed in claim 3 wherein said deck beam ofi the deck. is removable. References Cited 5. A ship as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hatches 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS are transverse hatches and said pairs of mobile decks are displacea-ble with respect to the hatch openings in 3291324 12/1966 Fulcher et "214 15 longitudinal direction of the ship. DUANE A. REGER, Primary Examiner.

6. A ship as claimed in claim 1 wherein the length of the hatch is substantially the length of the cargo hold, 10 TRYGVE BLIX: Amstmt Exammer' 

